


I'll head towards tomorrow (towards that place with only two of us)

by Otpismyoxygen



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Pro Volleyball Player Hinata Shouyou, Pro Volleyball Player Sakusa Kiyoomi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:15:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26932720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Otpismyoxygen/pseuds/Otpismyoxygen
Summary: Motoya quietly sipped his tea in the middle of chaos at Sakusa residence, sitting at the veranda where he usually played back when he was a kid, watching with bored eyes as he witnessed the entirety of his big family losing their shit after hearing that Kiyoomi, THE Sakusa Kiyoomi, was bringing his lover to the family gathering.Sakusa brought Hinata to meet his entire big family right after his boyfriend was finally back from Brazil and stayed in Japan for good.
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Sakusa Kiyoomi
Comments: 12
Kudos: 462





	I'll head towards tomorrow (towards that place with only two of us)

**Author's Note:**

> Omihina rights 10/10
> 
> Title taken from the lyrics of Yoasobi's Tracing That Dreams

"Kiyoomi said that he will bring his lover? What kind of person who managed to steal your son's heart, Mimi-san?"

"We're going to find out today. They'll be here soon."

Motoya quietly sipped his tea in the middle of chaos at Sakusa residence, sitting at the verandas where he usually played as a kid back then, watching with bored eyes as he witnessed the entirety of his big family losing their shit after hearing that Kiyoomi, _the Sakusa Kiyoomi_ , was bringing his lover to the family gathering.

Goodness, Kiyoomi really knew how to stir a storm, didn't he?

Motoya couldn't believe that he really was going for it. His cousin really snatched Hinata away as soon as he got back from Brazil. Not even letting his lover go back to his parents' house in Miyagi first. Nope. He just casually brought him here first thing on the day of his arrival after three years abroad playing for Brazil club.

Well, Motoya could sort of sympathize with his cousin a little bit. Poor guy was left behind for three years by his dearest lover, and even though they still met once every few months, Motoya understood Kiyoomi's desperation to keep Hinata here for good. Although Motoya silently guessed that the "For good" was still tentative, and he knew that deep down, Kiyoomi realized this too. That his boyfriend was too large of an entity, that only the world could hold him up.

And maybe that was why Kiyoomi wanted any sort of attachment that could make himself satisfied, that no matter where Hinata would go, he would still be his.

_"Just marry him already."_

Motoya remembered his own words that he uttered to his cousin oh-so casually back then and sipped on his tea once again, thinking that _damn_ , Kiyoomi certainly moved fast for someone who labeled himself as a person who did not care about romance.

But as Motoya watched all the members of his family having a heated conversation about what kind person that Kiyoomi would bring to the family gathering for his mother's birthday, he hid his smile behind his tea cup. Because while it was true that Kiyoomi didn't care about romance, meeting Hinata and falling in love with him certainly turned his whole life around, and honestly, Motoya was glad that he had the front seat to witness all of it.

This weekend with their family definitely would be interesting.

  
  
  
  
  


_“What’s your type, Sakusa-kun?”_

Sakusa remembered the first time that question was thrown at him when he was still in elementary school, precisely when he was nine years old. He vaguely recalled that the question was asked by the girl from another class. Maybe not with that exact wording, but the weird girl definitely meant something along that line. She asked him because her best friend liked him.

Apparently, Sakusa was popular ever since he was in elementary school. Too bad that he didn't really care back then, or even now.

That question was thrown at him every now and then from then on. And Sakusa’s answer was always just a glare.

How dare people even have the guts to think that they had the rights to ask him such question.

He hated that question. He hated questions. He hated people talking to him. Period.

So he guessed, if he ever had a type, that would be someone who didn’t talk much to him, or didn't talk a lot in general. He would appreciate that very much.

It was what he believed all these years. Not that the thought of him having a very specific type for a significant other was always on his mind, but it was more like an unconscious awareness that his type - again, if he ever had one - would be someone quiet.

Only now that Sakusa truly realized that that sort of things like “ideal type” was bullshit. Utter bullshit.

Because that so-called ideal type was immediately thrown out of the window, tossed out into the garbage bin, burned into ashes, you name it, as soon as Sakusa knew the absolute embodiment of loudness and everything bright in the world.

Hinata Shouyo.

One thing that he realized was that as soon as you found someone, _the one_ , the kind of things like ideal type, or dream lover, had no meaning at all. Because all of a sudden, that person would become the entire sole being that you want in the world. _That_ person became your ideal type. 

And that was exactly what Sakusa felt for Hinata right now. Want, want, want. Sakusa wanted Hinata, and he wanted him entirely.

Did Sakusa even aware that he had this side of him, a very demanding, overbearing, and possessive one, residing in him? He did not, but apparently it has been there all along. And Hinata brought that side of him to the surface. Or more accurately, Hinata created that side of him.

It was a strange feeling. Sakusa never wanted so much in his life, besides volleyball. This was something new, something foreign, but it didn’t mean it wasn’t welcomed.

Sakusa welcomed it. Wanted to welcome it. Wanted to embrace the feeling. This intense feeling that had been burning since he met Hinata. They met five years ago and dated for the past four years, yet that feeling of _want_ became even more intense.

“Once you're back from Brazil, do you want to meet my family?”

The sentence was uttered by him when the light in the Black Jackals’ dorm had been turned off. Sakusa was sitting alone in the dark of his own room. A room that used to be his and Hinata's. When Hinata went to play for ASAS Sao Paulo, no one dared to even ask whether Sakusa wanted a new roommate or not. Because everyone knew, the outside hitter of their team reserved it for his boyfriend who was currently trying to spread his wings even wider on the other side of the world.

Sakusa watched Hinata sitting on the couch in his own dorm room in Brazil, with freshly warm chocolate milk in his hands after he ate his breakfast. As soon as the question was said, he could see how Hinata's hand froze, the cup stopped only mere inches from his awaiting lips. The eyes which previously trained to the inside of his cup, slowly turned to the camera, looking at Sakusa point blank.

“Pardon, Omi-san?”

Sakusa bit the inside of his cheek. He was well aware that he was currently not wearing his mask, so his face was free for the world, for Hinata, to see. What did he just say? Did he seriously just blurt out something that heavy through their daily Skype session?

He was asking Hinata to meet his family, for God's sake. Why couldn't he wait until Hinata was here and ask him directly?

Sakusa wasn’t someone talkative, but he actually talked a lot in his mind. And being around Hinata just seemed to bring out that side of him that was usually only done inside his own head.

"You... you're back in two months. So I was thinking…" he trailed off.

He let himself to take a deep breath, because one, he realized he look way too excited with the prospect of his lover was finally coming home after his contract with the foreign team expired, and two, the thought of bringing Hinata to meet his family had been clinging to his mind since he knew that the date of Hinata's arrival in Japan was exactly one day before his mother's birthday, and third, Komori's words had been ringing inside his head since the first time he heard it.

_"Just marry him already."_

One thing that Motoya didn’t know was the fact that he already gave Hinata a ring when he departed for Brazil three years ago, too anxious to let go of his boyfriend to the place he didn’t know without some kind of physical evidence to proof that Hinata was his even though he was so far away. He would marry him back then if he could, but even someone as stupid as Atsumu would slap him for making such a hurried decision.

He was ready now, though. More than ever.

When Sakusa wanted something, he wanted it entirely. The ring was the only thing that he could think of back then. And now that Hinata was finally about to come back, his cousin's words were constantly in his mind and bringing Hinata to meet his family was the step he thought he should take so he could do what Motoya suggested him to do.

Sakusa gulped, hoping that his not-so small lover wouldn't notice just how much he was losing his composure underneath all his cold exterior. But Hinata knew him too well, so the effort might as well be in vain.

"Omi-san?"

Sakusa gritted his teeth, finally bringing himself to look at his boyfriend's eyes. Even though it was just through the laptop screen, looking into Hinata's eyes could be too intense sometimes.

"I want you to meet my family, Shouyo," he said with batted breath, not really sure if it was loud enough for his microphone to catch, but judging by Hinata, who finally put down his cup of hot chocolate down, showing his surprised face, Sakusa guessed he said it loud enough, after all. Thank goodness, because he didn't know if his stomach was strong enough for him to repeat that.

"You called me Shouyo, so this must be serious, huh, Omi-san?"

One of the things that Sakusa loved the most about Hinata, though, was the fact that he never took too long to respond. He would never let Sakusa even had any negative thoughts flashing around his mind by making him wait. That was just how his boyfriend was. He said whatever it was in his mind, but he still always said the right thing. How did Hinata do that all this time was still a wonder to him as well.

"You think I'm joking around with this matter?"

"No, I mean…" Hinata trailed off as he played with the rim of his cup, which irked Sakusa a bit because who knew whether his boyfriend's hands were dirty or not. Lowering his head, Hinata's hair strand covered half of his face, as if he was trying to hide himself. "I was just thinking that you're really serious about...us."

"Hinata, I gave you a ring before you departed to Brazil and waited for you for three years before you're finally coming back now. You think I'm not serious about our relationship all this time?"

"B-but… this is your family we're talking about. _I'm meeting your family_. This is ultra, extra serious, Omi-san!"

Damn right, it was. A smile threatened to force its way out as Sakusa realized that he was way too excited for his own good. Not really at the prospect of Hinata meeting his family, but more at how he was taking Hinata onto another step of their relationship. He was really, _really_ doing this.

"They're _just_ my family. People who I happened to shared some blood and relation with. Motoya is my cousin, and he was nothing special, so do my other family members. In any case, I'm closer to you than anyone in my family. You know me better than anyone.”

“Even Komori-san?”

Sakusa chuckled under his breath. “Yeah, even Motoya.”

That succeeded in bringing out a smile out of his boyfriend for the first time since Sakusa spilled out the important question. Hinata brought his cup of hot chocolate to his lips, his grip on it no longer tensed, and sipped on it slowly. Sakusa could feel the edge of his lips pulled sideways as he saw his lover visibly relaxed again.

“Would I be a nuisance if I crashed into your family’s gathering?”

“You already knew what my answer is to that,” Sakusa replied. Him too, finally could breathe easily now that he could see the light in the Brazilian club player’s eyes was no longer dripping with dread, but replaced by nervous excitement instead.

It was still another couple of months before Hinata was back to Japan, he still needed to finish his last season in the South American Cup, but Sakusa felt like he couldn’t wait another second to have him in his arms.

Gosh. Sakusa wanted Hinata so much. Right here, right now, with him.

“Will you? Come with me to meet my family, that is.”

Given how reluctant he was at first when Sakusa asked him earlier, the answer this time coming from Hinata was immediate. He didn’t say anything, but Hinata’s wide, nervous grin and excited nod was an enough answer for Sakusa.

  
  
  
  
  


Hinata looked like he was ready to pass out any second.

People would think that meeting their loved one’s family would make anyone dying from nervousness. But not with Sakusa’s boyfriend.

Hinata looked like he was dying, alright. But it was more because of his massive jetlag looming over his head.

They had been sitting on a taxi, taking them from the Narita Airport to Sakusa’s family house for the past forty five minutes, and it was apparent that Hinata's energy depleted by minutes. He couldn’t hold his eyes open, let alone sitting upright at this point.

Sakusa leaned into his boyfriend’s side, trying to make him feel as comfortable as possible in the cramp car. “We’ll arrive shortly. As soon as we arrived, take a shower and go to sleep immediately, okay?”

Hinata went from lethargic to taut instantly at that. “What, no! I need to greet all your family first.”

“The gathering actually starts tomorrow. They only gathered now because they knew that you’ll arrive today.”

“All the more reason that I _have_ to greet them first. And it’s my fault anyway, I was supposed to arrive five hours earlier. I thought I can have a little bit of rest first before meeting them at dinner, but my flight just had to get delayed at this important time.”

Sakusa pinched the bridge of his nose, starting to get antsy. He hated it more than anything when Hinata was starting to forget that he needed to take care of himself. His boyfriend had definitely gotten a whole lot better at it, but he still forgot sometimes. And this was one of those times where it was clear that Hinata was forcing himself, not only with his exhaustion but also the change of climate from the hot weather of Brazil to the December winter of Japan.

Sakusa squeezed his little rough hand nonetheless, and kissed the side of his head. He knew how much this meeting was as important to Hinata as it was to him. Thinking that his little ball of energy was on the verge of collapsing but still trying to push through for his sake hurt and warmed Sakusa’s heart at the same time.

“Alright, I’m gonna let you go around introducing yourself once. No wishy-washy talk, not even with my mom. That can wait for tomorrow.”

“Omi-san, that’s kinda rude.”

Like Sakusa cared about that, but he knew well just how much of a social butterfly his lover was. It was in his nature to just… interact with people.

_What's your type, Sakusa?_

Somehow the bizarrely personal question from the girl from his elementary school suddenly popped up at the back of Sakusa's mind. He blinked, his vision zeroed in the boy - a whole 27 years old man now, but still, he was three months younger than him, therefore, _boy_ , Kiyoomi's baby - who had his whole body slacked on him, but his head turned toward the side window of the car. Looking like he was a second away from falling asleep, yet excited and nervous at the same time.

"Are we close now?" he asked, for some reason his voice sounded timid.

Sakusa looked out of the window. They had entered the suburban part of Tokyo where they now could only see the little houses.

The gathering was held in the childhood home of his mother. The house where Sakusa spent most of his summer holiday at. Even after he was an adult.

He didn't know why bringing Hinata to this home felt more sentimental than to his own house. It was possible now that Sakusa was even more nervous than Hinata. More at the fact that he was bringing the love of his life to one of his favorite places on earth. To the place where Sakusa could be himself the most.

Hinata was his person. The person Sakusa was the most comfortable with, the person he could totally be himself, no mask, no filter. So bringing his _person_ to his _place_ was the only thing he could think as the natural thing to do. Especially when he was about to do something as special as _this_.

His eyes went to the front pocket of his bag. The place where he put the ring he bought two months ago.

“Hey,” Hinata said, sliding to Sakusa’s side, buried his body into him even more. “What are you thinking about?”

“About how you’re literally just five hundreds meters away from my home,” Sakusa mumbled, unknowingly had his fist tightened on his boyfriend’s waist.

“Is it the one over there?”

“The one with the yellow light, yeah.” It was nighttime, so it wasn’t really helping to identify the characteristics of his house.

Sakusa could feel Hinata take a deep breath. “Do you have any last minute advice?”

“Hmm…” Sakusa cocked his head, putting it on top of the other’s. “They’ll love you. You don’t need any advice from me at all.”

Sakusa could slowly feel his stomach recoil. Not the same type as when he saw someone doing something unsanitary, but more like a restless boulder had placed itself inside of his stomach and decided to stay there without his permission.

Why did he feel this nervous, Sakusa didn’t even know.

When the taxi finally pulled off into a small estate, but rather big compared to other houses in the area, Hinata straightened his back. He looked more awake now. He didn’t even light up this much when he saw Sakusa earlier at the airport. Sakusa kinda took offense on that. But Hinata was adorable, so he forgave him and gave him a kiss on the head instead.

“Promise me." Sakusa put on his mask. "We’re just gonna talk for a bit, and then you, sleep.”

Sometimes, talking some sense into his stubborn boyfriend could be more than difficult. When Hinata was adamant to do something, he would do it until the end. Sakusa just hoped that tonight wouldn’t be one of the cases.

“I promise.” Hinata beamed at him, but Sakusa had a bad feeling about this.

Sakusa left Hinata to pay the taxi driver and chat a little bit while he was busy taking out their luggages out of the back trunk. Just as usual, he let his boyfriend do the talking and socializing while he silently did other things, or nothing, at the back.

He finished unloading faster than Hinata, as expected, and took the time to look around the house that he hadn’t had the time to visit for more than three months already due to the busy volleyball season this year. But he was here now, with Hinata. Something totally different from what he usually did, but he welcomed it, he was excited, even.

“Take care on your way back, sir! Drive safe!” Hinata yelled, and only then Sakusa realized that the driver had already pulled out of the yard of his house, with Hinata waving his hand to the driver, big smile on his face.

“Ready?” Sakusa reached out his free hand toward Hinata, patiently waiting until his much shorter boyfriend to come to him.

“Whoa.” Hinata’s mouth gaped as he turned around, walking slowly toward Sakusa’s waiting hand while his eyes roaming around the outside part of the house. “This is almost exactly like my house in Miyagi. Right?”

Sakusa had visited his boyfriend’s house multiple times and he thought he could say the same. “This is an old neighbourhood, maybe that’s why.”

“Now I can see why you rather stayed at my house everytime we played at Sendai.” Hinata took his hand, and his eyes immediately met Sakusa’s. “Should we go inside?”

“You ready to meet my family?”

“I bet they’re not bad.”

“Definitely not as bad as Atsumu’s family, I can give you that, at least.”

“I love the Miyas. Should we go to Hyogo after this? Next week maybe?”

“You love everyone, so your opinion isn’t that valid. Also, next week you’ll start practicing with us again. No more vacation.”

“Oh well, I’m staying here for good, anyway. I can go visit any place in Japan anytime now.”

Sakusa stopped on his track, halting Hinata in the process too. From the edge of his eyes, he could see the warm, yellow light coming from his house. He could hear the faint sound of laughters and playful yells. But all of it was drowned under his consciousness as the words uttered by Hinata kept ringing in his head.

_“I’m staying here for good.”_

Suddenly it felt really hard to even swallow his own spit.

Sakusa tightened his hold on Hinata’s rough palm, needing something to ground him, longing for that reassurance that Hinata was truly here with him.

Hinata was finally here, wasn't he?

Clearing his throat, Sakusa pulled Hinata again, adamant to take his tanned boyfriend inside as soon as possible to warm him up. The closer they were to the front entrance of the house, the faster Sakusa’s heart beat, yet he felt strangely calm about this now that they were literally a few seconds away from announcing their presence to the whole family.

Sakusa was about to open the sliding door, his hand already raised. But it was as if whoever it was behind this door knew they get visitors. The door was already slid wide open before he knew it.

“Kiyoomi!”

“Mom? How could-”

And just like that, Sakusa’s boyfriend was no longer in his hold. Hinata took one step aside from him and bowed to the woman Sakusa called Mom.

“Good evening, Sakusa-san. I’m Hinata Shouyo. Thank you so much for having me here.”

“Hina-”

“Oh my God, is this the infamous lover Kiyoomi is bringing? Nice to meet you… Shouyo? Can I call you that?”

Hinata looked up, straightening his back. Hints of tiredness vanished from his face in an instant. “Oh, you can call me anything, Sakusa-san.”

“Then you can just call me Mimi, and I’ll call you Shou-chan. How about that?”

“Mimi-san, I’m very happy to finally meet you.”

Sakusa watched in amazement how the woman who gave birth to him and the man who he loved with his entire being, in less than thirty seconds after they landed their eyes on each other, barely five sentences uttered to each other, already hugged each other right in front of his eyes while exchanging compliments.

Sakusa always knew that his boyfriend had an extra special socializing skill, but seeing it happening with his mother was something else entirely.

“How are you, Mimi-san?”

“I’m a very happy and healthy soon-to-be 54 years old woman.”

“Oh, Omi-san didn’t mention that it’s your 54th birthday, I thought you’re still forty years old, Mimi-san.”

“Awh, Shou-chan, you really know what to say, aren’t you?”

Sakusa listened to the chatters exchanged between them as he pulled their luggages to the entrance hall of his house, while his mom already had her hand linked around his boyfriend’s arm, pulling him inside to where Sakusa knew for sure was the main living room of the house where everyone was waiting for their arrival.

He remembered the text he received from Motoya a few hours ago.

**_Your family is going nuts. You sure you want to bring Hinata? They look like they’re ready to devour him._ **

Sakusa sighed. There was no way that Hinata would live through the night if Sakusa didn’t peel him away. His tiredness would swallow him even faster than his own family’s endless questions. Despite the fact that Hinata was known as a player with unlimited stamina, most people other than his teammates wouldn’t know just how fast his energy could deplete in a matter of minutes when his body couldn’t hold him up anymore.

The next thing Sakusa knew, he was dragged entering the living room where he could see familiar faces of his big family. Motoya was in the corner talking to their aunty, but when their eyes met, he threw a smirk on him that made Sakusa want to rip it off of his face. He gave his cousin a stinking glare before his eyes tried to search for a 27 years old man needed to be saved.

It didn’t take long for him to spot his boyfriend. That was just how it worked between them, Sakusa would always find Hinata wherever he was. 

Hinata was preoccupied by his cute nieces and nephews, while a group of his nosy aunts were trying to give the poor guy some snacks. His yelp echoed through the room. His eyes crinkled on the edge as he let Sakusa’s nieces and nephews tickle him. It seemed like his tiredness had gone and replaced by joy and excitement. But Sakusa knew better. His boyfriend was unusually spiked by sheer adrenaline so high he would collapse once he calmed down later.

Making sure that his boyfriend at least could manage for the time being in the midst of all the chaos, Sakusa excused himself from his uncles who were trying to make him sit down. Gossips be damned, he moved onto the more important matter that had been his first priority since they arrived.

"Mom."

The woman looked at him with wide eyes. She was busy chatting - gossiping, most likely - with her sister that she didn’t realize that her son had sneaked up on her. "Darling, Kiyoomi, what's wrong?"

“I gotta make some warm tea or milk for Hinata."

"Huh?" His mom raised from where she sat, already putting her arm on her son's broad back, steering him to where the kitchen was. "Is he sick?"

Sakusa shook his head. "Really bad jet lag.”

“Oh my, poor kid. He just got back from Brazil, isn’t he?" She then proceeded to open a cupboard and did the business, even though Sakusa intended to do it himself. "No wonder he looked really tired."

"He pushed himself too hard sometimes, although he got a lot better on doing it now."

"But you take care of him."

Sakusa opened his mouth to answer, although his mom's words weren't exactly a question, but the words stuck in his throat as he saw the way his mom looked at him. He didn’t think he ever saw that look on her. “I try to do my best."

"Oh, I'm sure you are," she said, while her hands were still busy heating the milk, then her eyes were back on her task at hand. “I saw the way you look at him. I know that you didn’t bring him here to ask for any kind of acceptance or permission from us, but I like him. He looks wonderful.”

“He _is_ wonderful.”

His mom laughed. “I can see that. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" She held out her hands, one of them handed him the cup of milk, and the other was squeezing his shoulder. "Just rest for now, you two could sleep in your usual room. I suppose you'll skip dinner?"

“I think so.” He took the glass from the woman, but when he was about to get out of the kitchen, he stopped on his track. He was never the type of son who got sentimental toward his parents, but being in the close approximation of Hinata weirdly made him do something he never did. So Sakusa turned around and faced his mom. “Thank you, Mom. For welcoming him well.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” Her voice was dripping with warmth. “Mom’s happy for you. I can’t wait to know him even deeper. Now go to him, before he collapses and don’t want to come here to meet us again.”

The smile on his face coming in naturally although his mom wouldn't be able to see it through his mask. “This won’t be the last time you see of him, I can guarantee you that.”

He didn’t get to see his mom’s reaction to his words as he already turned around, but he could still hear the squeal. Sakusa ignored it and went to find his probably-dying boyfriend.

The group of children was all over Hinata, and now the aunts and uncles were even around him. Only Motoya who was still sitting in the corner, alone now, watching with pitying eyes towards his National teammate.

When Motoya realized that Sakusa had come back, he mouthed at him. “Save him.”

It was practically impossible for Sakusa to get closer so he only stood a couple meters away. “Shouyo,” he called, wanting the man's attention, or the children's, or his aunts and uncles, so they could stop whatever things they were doing.

Hinata looked up to him. His eyes glazed, his cheeks flushed, and he was giggling, nonstop. He was _really_ out of it. “Kiyoomi, hey!”

Sakusa raised his eyebrows. Hinata rarely called him by his full first name, usually just opted out for ‘Omi-san’. The first name was always exclusive to when they were being intimate… or when Hinata was drunk, which was pretty much his condition right now. Sakusa’s boyfriend was dangerously sleep deprived, it seemed.

“I made you warm milk. Let's go rest.”

If Hinata recognized Sakusa's stern voice, he didn't show it as he kept on giggling, although the children already detached themselves from him. It looked like he just couldn't stop himself rather than keep laughing because there was something actually funny around.

“I don't know why I can't stop laughing.” Hinata wiped the tears at his eyes with his trembling palm.

“Jesus,” Sakusa mumbled under his breath. He sneaked himself through the children and took a seat beside his boyfriend. “Okay, drink this.”

“What's this?” Hinata asked with remnants of laughter on his lips.

“Milk, I already told you.”

“I must've missed it.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you, Kiyoomi,” he said, still holding back a laugh.

Even looking so miserable like this, Sakusa still thought he was so beautiful. If not because of the dozen pairs of eyes looking at them, he would’ve already kissed him. Instead, he opted out to just rub the small of his back, willing Hinata to wind down.

His focus stayed on Hinata while dimly he could see that his mom and Motoya were starting to pull family members swarming them away to give them room.

After a while, Hinata lowered his cup and gave it to Sakusa.

“Do you think you can take a bath first?”

Hinata blinked slowly, like he would sleep right there and then. “I can’t think right now.”

“Alright, let’s get you to bed.”

“Yes, please.”

Sakusa got up, while his hand reached out to pull Hinata up with him. 

“The dinner…”

“Sweetheart,” Sakusa’s mom called from across the room. The woman was cozying up with her husband hugging her from the back. “You could retreat for the night. We’ll see each other again tomorrow, okay?”

Hinata stole a gaze at Sakusa, and he replied with a nod. Only then Hinata nodded and practically bowed at everyone in the room, excusing himself.

The house wasn’t too big. Most of the rooms were on the first floor, only separated by the paper and woodens partitions. Sakusa’s room was upstairs. And the effort to take both Hinata and their luggages up was a whole workout on its own.

As he slid the door closed, the world felt like it closed in on him, and Sakusa could finally breathe properly. He let go of their luggages, took off his mask, and held Hinata with his two arms, circling them around his waist. "Good job on holding on that long."

With Sakusa's fingers raking through his hair, Hinata let out a pent-up exhale. “That was exhausting,” he huffed.

"You're low on energy. You'll do fine tomorrow."

"I wasn't rude, right? God, I didn't even talk to your mom properly."

Sakusa knew if he didn't stop it right now, his boyfriend would never be done with his worries and the rest he very much needed wouldn't be done anytime soon. So Sakusa picked him up, holding him up to his shoulder until Hinata let out a surprised yet amused yelp.

"Omi-san, put me down." He giggled as Sakusa brought him to the mattress his mother already prepared for them both at the center of the room.

With his long strides, Sakusa didn't have a difficult time to place his exhausted boyfriend under the blanket without making him too deep into his fit of giggles. "Shut up and sleep."

"But, Omi-"

At times like this, a kiss to his lips was the quickest way to shut him up. Sakusa could feel Hinata tensed underneath him. It was just a simple peck but he was glad to see Hinata still reacted to it.

"You promised," Sakusa reminded him.

"I did, didn't I?" A smile adorned his tired face. "But you also said I need to shower."

"Shower tomorrow morning."

Before Sakusa could prepare himself for what was coming, Hinata grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him down, planting his lips over Sakusa's.

For a second, his brain couldn't compute what was happening. But then all his senses screamed, gasping as if this was the first time they were all able to breathe. It had been only four months since the last time they met during Olympics 2024 in Paris. They definitely had times when they needed to wait longer to meet during their three years of long distance relationship. But the fact that now Hinata was finally in his arms for good _\- I'm staying here for good_ \- made him want. want. want.

Sakusa licked his lips, urging Hinata to open, and groaned into his mouth as he finally found his sweet tongue. When he heard the whimper coming from Hinata, Sakusa pulled away, immediately realizing if he pushed further, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back and let his boyfriend get some rest.

Sakusa's hand came back to cup his cheeks, stroking them with his thumb gently while giving him feather-soft kisses all over his face, absorbing every tremble and hitch of breath. He was mesmerized by how after all these years he was still affected by this very man. Through their shared ragged breath, they were saying _I miss you. I love you. I'll wait forever for you. I won't go. Don't ever let go._

Sakusa leaned his forehead against Hinata's. "Welcome back."

"I'm home."

At that moment, Sakusa felt weightless.

  
  


When he woke up, Sakusa almost forgot that he was in his family's summer house. The tatami under the mattress, the yellowish paper wall, and the wooden ceiling felt familiar and foreign at the same time for the first minute he opened his eyes. 

For a moment there, Sakusa forgot that he was there with Hinata, because the man… was nowhere in sight.

He jolted up instantly, the heavy blanket fell to his lap, his skin immediately touched by the cold air of early December. _Where's Hinata?_

His skin felt tight and sticky from falling asleep without showering. His family would probably go into shambles if he knew that he didn't shower before bed, but last night was their first night sleeping together again after so long and taking a shower was the last thing in his mind. Besides, with Hinata's poor condition last night, leaving him behind even just for a few minutes didn’t feel right.

But now that the little monster dared to leave Sakusa behind to wake up alone in bed, Sakusa had to roll his eyes first thing in the morning. He was lucky that Sakusa loved him to death.

Sakusa took his sweet time to make their futon, although deep down he knew in a matter of few hours, Hinata probably would use the bed again. His jet lag was worse this time around, so he definitely would fall asleep again shortly.

With his mask on, still using the clothes he wore when he arrived last night, Sakusa came down to find his orange-haired boyfriend. Given how Hinata probably already woke up at least half an hour ago, he must’ve talked to at least half of his family by now. That man moved fast in befriending people.

But Sakusa’s mission to go find him was interrupted by how his mom pulled him away.

“Wha- Mom, why did you do that?”

His mom didn’t immediately answer and pulled him toward the kitchen first, the place where they talked yesterday. There were some of his aunts there, but his mom hurriedly shooed them away, and sat him on one of the chairs while she sat beside him, moved the chair a little bit so she could sit facing him, her hands still holding her son’s.

Sakusa blinked, surprised by how hasty his mother was. “Is something wrong?”

The woman narrowed her eyes at him, as if she was trying to search something out of him. “Hmm… weird. You don’t look like it.”

“Look like what?”

“Look like someone who just proposed.”

That did it. Sakusa choked on his own spit, as gross as it sounded, “Mom, what?”

“I saw the ring on Shou-chan’s finger.”

“He wore that all the time last night. You didn’t see it when he arrived?”

“I didn’t. So you didn’t propose last night?”

“You think I proposed last night upstairs before bed?”

His mother shrugged. Sometimes Sakusa wondered what trait that he inherited from his mother because they were as similar as the sun and moon.

“What’s wrong with proposing before bed?” the woman tilted her head.

Nothing. Because Sakusa didn’t have any idea how to even propose properly. Absolutely zero idea, and he began to go crazy about it. “Anyway, I haven’t proposed…”

The _yet_ was silent, and Sakusa just realized what his words just implied and looked at probably the only woman that could understand him, in horror. But instead the teasing smile he expected coming from her, she looked at him with glaze in her eyes. Were those tears?

“Mom?”

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and took a deep breath, smiling at him. “Soon then?” she asked, as if she could see right through him.

People often said that he was really difficult to read. But a few people, like his mother, Motoya, Hinata...could read him like he was an open book.

Sakusa looked down at his hands that were enveloped by her mom’s. He had always been someone who was sure of what he wanted, so the question wasn’t something hard to answer.

“He has a bad habit of leaping from one place to another. I just feel like I need to hurry up before he vanishes from my sight again.” Keeping his head down, his voice was barely audible.

“So you want to put a ring on him as soon as possible?”

“That was one of the reasons. It’s just that there is no one other than him.” He finally looked up, meeting his mother’s eyes. “It’s him. I want him, as my husband. I want to spend the rest of my life with him.”

His mother didn’t say anything. The only response she gave was how her smile got even wider and how she flicked her head toward the backyard of the house, and Sakusa got the signal. Hinata was there.

Sakusa was holding a cup full of hot chocolate when he spotted the man that he’d been looking for was crouching at the edge of the pond with some of the children, probably talking about how the water would soon freeze. When Sakusa looked around, he realized that for as long as he could remember, this was the first time he saw the backyard of this summer house in winter. The green leaves and other colorful flowers were nonexistent, the earth was almost grey, and the sky was gloomy.

It was different. But Sakusa still loved it nonetheless.

Sakusa took a seat on the wooden veranda, letting his feet touch the ground, not caring that he didn’t wear any shoes. He put the warm cup beside him as he rested his hands behind him, propping his body up, and watched Hinata as if he was the only lit candle in the room.

He waited, unconsciously tapping his fingers to the wooden deck. His eyes never left the now-tanned boy, noticing that he was, in fact, wearing Sakusa’s winter jacket. Such little things, but Sakusa missed it.

He kept waiting. He waited like a dog waiting for his owner. He waited like the morning waiting for the sun. He waited like summer waiting for winter.

Sakusa was someone who hated to waste his time. But waiting for Hinata was never it. Because he knew at the end of the day, this was worth it. Hinata was always worth it.

But then again, Sakusa was a greedy man. He could wait, but it wasn’t that he was willing to wait forever.

“Hinata,” he yelled, willing for his voice to be heard across the yard.

And it was like Sakusa saw it in a slow motion. It was as if his ears perked up, Hinata looked up and around, his eyes wandered for a second before they focused on Sakusa. His questioning eyes turned crescent as he stood up, others around him forgotten. And as Sakusa watched Hinata run toward him, all summer and sun around him despite the winter and gloomy his surrounding was, he was reminded of why he loved this very man.

“Omi-san!” Hinata loomed over him, smiling with the bags under his eyes still visible, and Sakusa longed to caress them better. “Good morning.”

“Sit here.” Sakusa tapped his lap. It wasn’t that the spot beside or near him was occupied, he just wanted his boyfriend close.

“Huh, why?”

“Because I want to hug my boyfriend, that’s why.”

Sakusa expected him to be floundering around, shy to show affectionate side of him. Despite his easy-going nature, his boyfriend was awkward when it came to public display affection. So when Hinata dropped himself on his lap, facing sideways, Sakusa found himself take a deep, sharp breath.

“Still sleepy?” he asked, when Hinata hid his face on the crook of his neck, making him shiver.

Hinata hummed. “Woke up to take a bath because I felt awful, but got dragged by your family members.”

“I brought you hot chocolate. Drink and take a bath. Sleep again after that.”

“Don’t wanna.”

“You’re gonna faint before it hits midday at this rate.” 

His hand reached out to touch Hinata’s soft hair, since he couldn’t touch his face. He ran his fingers through the hair, unconsciously humming an unidentified tune, accompanied by the sound of the morning, cold wind. He felt absolute peace, and by that time, Sakusa couldn’t care less about bathing or even go change their clothes.

Instead, he sneaked his arm around Hinata’s body, turning him around so he could face him but still could rest comfortably. Now that Sakusa could look at Hinata’s sleepy face, he pulled down his mask so he would be able to kiss the soft cheeks that he had been wanting to bite since the first time Sakusa saw him at the airport, but he kept on getting distracted by other things.

Hinata let out a soft giggle. “I miss you being touchy in the morning, Omi-san.”

“I miss touching you in the morning, too. Drink the milk.”

The smaller man received the cup Sakusa handed out to him. The steam covered his face for a second when he blew the chocolate liquid. “We can do it everyday now,” Hinata said.

“Drinking milk?”

“No, I mean you touching me in the morning.”

“Hmm, true…” Sakusa tightened his grip on the other’s hip. “How do you like it so far?”

Hinata moved his butt a little after putting down the empty cup, searching for a comfortable position on top of his boyfriend’s lap. That was how Sakusa knew that a long story would come from his little sunshine. So Sakusa tilted his head to the side, trying to see his face better in this new position where Hinata sat a bit straighter. Sakusa could see more of the back of his head than his face.

“I love it here,” he started. “I’m actually surprised that some of the area in Tokyo still had this kind of home. But I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because Kenma’s house is also like this. But this house is definitely more homie. I understand now why you like spending your holiday here. Would you bring me here again?”

Hinata turned to him, and Sakusa nodded.

“Great. I would love to be here in summer. I bet it’s even cozier. Oh, and your family! I admit I was out of it last night, so I don’t remember what happened last night. But I talked to your mom earlier. She asked me about how we met, and my time in Brazil, and about our next championship. I told her we’re gonna win gold.”

“Sure, we will.”

“Right? We definitely will. Also, your dad is awesome. He reminded me of you. You should’ve introduced us last night.”

Sakusa opted out to not say anything about this. He loved his dad, but he was never close to his dad as much as he was to his mom. Maybe when he and Hinata were official…

When, not if. Because Sakusa would make sure that he would do _it._ Soon.

“Anyway, it seems like your parents like me-”

“They love you.”

“-and your aunts and uncles, too. Your cousins, nephews, nieces are so kind and fun. I played with them a bit earlier and I had so much fun. I guess I still have the knack playing with kids, huh? Komori-san helped me a bit, though, or else I would be overwhelmed.”

Hinata stopped for a while to blow on his hands, warming them up. The glint of the ring Sakusa gave to him way back then caught his eyes, as if it was mocking him. The ring used to make him feel at peace, knowing that the band was proof that Hinata was his. But now, the silver ring just made him restless, begging to be swapped by the real one.

“I love your family.” Hinata sighed, and looked at the greyish sky. Quiet for a while before he gasped. "Do you think they love me because they haven't spent a lot of time with me? You know I can be pretty endearing on the first meeting, but I'm insufferable on the long term. That's what Tsukishima and Kageyama always said. Some nice best friends, they are."

Sakusa tightened his grip around Hinata's torso. Warmth bloomed inside him while his hands became cold, and his heart started to ram uncontrollably, drowning out Hinata's voice.

They - or more like, only Hinata - talk about everything and nothing, the grand thing, the little things. Insufferable, some people said, but Sakusa loved listening to him talk. He usually hated when people talk, but with Hinata...

"Omi-san, you totally didn't listen to me. See, even you're tired listening to me." Hinata turned around facing him. His cute little pout was full on display for Sakusa to adore.

"Just zoning out a little bit." Sakusa nuzzled his nose to Hinata's cheek. Even though Hinata was on his lap, their faces were on the same level.

His small boyfriend let out a muffled snickers, didn't want to show that he was done being fake-upset. "Okay, I'm done talking. Your turn, Omi-san."

Sakusa raised his eyebrows.

"Say something. Anything."

Between the two of them, everyone knew that Hinata was the one who always did the talking. Hinata loved to talk, alone or to someone. Sometimes Sakusa thought to himself, why did Hinata stay with him. Someone who was rather not utter a single thing if he could, someone who didn't respond as well to him as other people could've.

" _What's your type, Sakusa?"_

Maybe someone who was quiet, would never disturb him, would sit or walk like a normal person instead of constantly jumping here and there, would hug him a normal amount, and kiss him quietly too with no smile or giggle.

Those might be his type but at the end of the day, Sakusa wanted to spend the rest of his time in this world with someone exactly the opposite of those.

"Omi-san?" Hinata tilted his head, waiting.

What did Hinata ask from him earlier? Oh, right. He asked Sakusa to say something.

Sakusa didn't know if this was what Hinata meant when he asked him to say something, but these were the only words that Sakusa wanted to utter the most right now, so his boyfriend had to hear it whether he liked it or not.

"Marry me, Shouyo."

  
  



End file.
